Let Loose That Light
by Hidden Relevance
Summary: 6 months ago, Nick and Cassie finally attempted the rescue of Cassie's mother, Anna. That attempt went very wrong, and Cassie's been in Division hands ever since. Now, with the help of some allies they've gained over the past 5 years, Nick is determined to get his lover back and to complete what they set out to do in the first place - get her mother free as well. Nick/Cassie
1. Prologue

**AN: So this was for the BigBang_Mixup o****ver at LJ and I had a blast with it! My mixer gave me a ton to work with - the song lyrics at the top of each chapter are all from the mix. We also had an awesome artist pick us up. PM me if you want a link to the art work!**

******So on to the nitty gritty: First off YES Cassie is legal in this fic! LOL  
**

**Rating:** T for language

**Genre(s):** Action, light romance

**Warnings:** Fair amount of violence and language, one instance of electrocution

**Finally, as always - this is a FANfiction site, and appropriately enough, I own NOTHING.  
**

**Prologue**

_I was ready for the truth I wasn't ready for the situation  
Well maybe in time maybe in time I'll figure this out _

"_Perfect Day" Matt Hires_

There were colored pencils in the Watcher's hands and her lap and papers scattered about the room, carpeting the floor and taped over the wall, burying the cot in the corner and the tables and chairs. The young woman in the center of the room scribbled away on this sheet and then that, one after another here and there spending only moments on each before moving on again. To the onlookers, only a few of the pages held anything remotely legible. The images were hurried and blurred at the edges, one form blending into another without rhyme or reason beyond what the woman's beleaguered mind could conceive of for it.

The agent in charge smothered a chuckle at the stunned faces of her new colleagues. They had no idea of what they were getting involved with signing on as part of the team in charge of this Watcher.

She was easily the most promising specimen yet. Only one other Watcher had ever seen so much. It was likely not a coincidence that these two were related.

The Holmes women were certainly a wonder to behold, a proper marvel of psychic genetic heredity at work. It offered a singular example for study on the subject. Rarely did the Division have the chance to observe a psychic parent and child together. Dr. McLauren was raving about his research into the differing evolution of each woman's individual precognitive gift.

Agent Hollis had to agree with him – it was fascinating watching each of them and how they used their gifts.

The elder Holmes woman saw the distant future, and her detail sometimes waited years to see the moments she spoke of. It was hard to be patient, but generally those pearls of wisdom were worth the time that passed. And it wasn't like she wasn't amusing in other ways. Anna Holmes practiced her gifts in a way that was almost stereotypical for a psychic of her subset. She used, and this _always_ amused the new agents on her detail, crystal orbs to 'scry' or so she called it. A psychic with a crystal ball. It was more than a little funny.

Or it would be if she didn't lose the damned things constantly. Anna seemed to forget she carried them half the time and dropped them or set them aside or who knew what else she did with them. It stopped being fun after the first couple people managed to injure themselves by stepping all over them. The overall count was 6 different agents out over time with either sprains or broken bones from slipping and falling on the damned things. It made it a bit more troublesome to be on Anna Holmes's detail, but the unofficial Division prestige of being connected to a powerful psychic kept new agents applying for the empty slots even knowing it was occasionally accidentally dangerous.

Her daughter's detail was already drawing the same sort of acclaim. Cassie Holmes hadn't been captured more than a few months prior, less than a year, but already her visions had led the Division to several hitherto rogue psychics. It was both harder and easier to gauge the future based on her visions. The younger woman seemed almost exclusively to use her gift moment by moment, as if her visions were all set in the present moment or near future, bare weeks ahead at most. When she spoke of viewing the future like a photograph, it was as if she used a Polaroid and an instant capture of each event. There was no knowing just how much of each image she really saw. Judging from the pictures she drew she might only see individual details each time. Those details though… they might hold a wealth of secrets.

Agent Hollis had seen that first hand time and again… or, she was almost sure she had. She pressed a hand to her forehead, fighting back now far too common headaches. It was a side effect of the serum, or so the science geeks told her. A fair price to play for the massive increase in her gifts. It didn't make it any more enjoyable to deal with. Nor did the occasional bouts of confusion.

They kept telling her there would be a breakthrough - that they'd be able to ease of the side effects, but it just never seemed to happen. Nor did it seem to help they others they'd given the serum over the years. There were still only a fraction who survived the full process, and they too tended to be hit by the headaches.

Agent Hollis shook off the feeling, and ignored the knowing looks from the Stitch she'd been assigned. She didn't have time to play his games. No, they had work to do.

She'd noticed in the center of the room that Cassie was slowing down in her frantic scribbling, focusing on a single sheet of paper for more than a few seconds.

That meant she was seeing something clearly. Something that mattered to her. Or _someone_ that mattered to her. That could mean…

"What do you see, Cassie? _Who_ do you see?" Agent Hollis leaned down, trying to keep her face open and inviting. Cassie didn't answer, just switched the colors in her hands, adding tiny details to the object she was drawing. Agent Hollis looked over to the other agents and shrugged at their impatience; they'd learn soon enough it wasn't easy to hurry this Watcher along. She'd lose the vision if they weren't careful. Agent Hollis sat back on her heels, and waited. She'd only Push the Watcher if she had too, if she didn't answer or tried to move to another sheet of paper without explaining.

After a long moment of the younger woman choosing one final color and adding her signature in the corner. She still didn't speak, and Agent Hollis sighed. Plan B it was then.

"Tell me what you see, Cassie," she said and _pushed_, her eyes going blind for a moment as she exerted her will over the other woman. Cassie swayed, her eyes narrowing as she glared for a moment, making it clear she knew full well that she was being influenced. Then the ragged blonde shook all over and shrugged, then held the image out to the agent.

"It's just a lily, Kira. A pendant." She smiled down at the image she'd drawn, and then spoke so softly the other woman almost didn't hear her. "He gave me a flower…"

At her words, the agent felt a ripple of excitement and then vicious jealousy sweep over her, but she ruthlessly buried both before they could affect her. There was too much work to do for her to become distracted. She took the picture Cassie had offered and rose, turning to the agents under her command.

"It's time. He's coming for her."

**Hope you enjoyed! I'm probably going to be posting chapters ever day or so - I didn't want to spam your inboxes!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"_Yesterday" has gone,  
Future's coming next.  
So move, clock's on._

It's a countdown...

"_In a Row" – Nothink_

Nick checked his watch again and resisted the urge to drum his fingers on the steering wheel, knowing it would only earn him a sharp comment from the Shadow in the passenger seat. And they couldn't dissolve into an argument again, not now, not when they sat literally right around the corner from the lab where the Holmes woman and one old friend were being held. He settled for picking up the envelope on the console between them and running his fingers silently along the folds, not opening it, though, not yet. Not until 2:58 on the dot. God he hoped Cassie would be ready. That she even could be ready, considering the cocktail Division likely had her on.

"You're sure she's seen-"

"The pendant up against a digital clock stopped at 3:00 p.m. exactly. As I told you the last time, and the time before that." Mitchell Bryce didn't bother to turn to look at Nick, but the Mover could imagine the annoyance in the Shadow's dark eyes. He knew that the Shadow _had_ in fact told Nick more than once now, and knew too that Bryce needed to rescue his cousin and so had every bit of a stake in the success of this mission as Nick did. With that in mind, Nick tried again to calm the impatience welling up within him.

He'd have thought the months without word or hint of Cassie's location would have been worse, but it seemed having her just out of reach was driving him even more crazy. It was just… they were so _close._ After nearly 6 months of planning and scraping and doing everything in his power to find her, to get some bead on where the hell Division had taken his lover, they finally were in position to begin the rescue, to fight back and take her back from the bastards who had stolen her from him.

"God, I hope Emily gets here soon," Nick cringed as the words slipped out, half expecting Bryce to snap. When the expected sarcastic comment didn't happen, he risked a glance over to see Bryce's face carefully blank, his hand half-hiding his eyes. After a moment, the dark-haired man sighed and straightened.

"The lovely Ms. Hu will be here." He tugged as his tie and smoothed down imaginary wrinkles, the only sign that he might be as stressed as Nick was. "She risks losing too much not to arrive on schedule."

Nick nodded, and scrubbed a hand across his face. He knew all too well Emily and Bryce had lost someone, lost the same someone as a matter of fact. And it was unfortunately likely due to the somebody _he'd_ lost. Cassie's gifts were always stronger when it came to her friends and family, and there wasn't much chance that one after another of some of their past contacts were getting snatched up after she was taken was just a coincidence. Hook Waters had been only one of those scooped up by Division. At least there was a chance to get Hook back, or as much of a chance as getting Cassie back. He was the only one so far who was actually being kept in the same Division lock up as his Watcher friend. He and their original rescue target, Anna Holmes, Cassie's mother.

She'd been who they were trying to rescue in the first place those 6 months ago when the mission had gone so very wrong. He still wasn't totally sure what had… He shook his head at himself. He knew exactly what had gone wrong – Ms. Kira Hudson, or Agent Kira Hollis as she seemed to be called lately. They'd thought she was fine after the mess in Hong Kong. She'd rendezvoused with he and Cassie as planned, and for a while the three of them, he, Kira, and Cassie, had done fairly well moving from city to country, laying low and keeping under the Division radar. It had almost been like a family – almost. If not for the sheer bitchyness that was Kira and Cassie alone in a room together for any length of time at all, he might have been perfectly happy, or as happy as a group of psychics on the run could be.

But then… Then Kira started Pushing, and not just marks around them, but Nick himself, and Cassie. Pushing them to do things that just didn't make sense. Petty things, like Cassie refusing to speak to him for days, or Nick locking Cassie out of their current squat in the middle of a thunderstorm. Nick talked to Kira, Cassie screamed at her, and their various friends when they were allowed took turns trying to explain just how utterly invasive being Pushed really was.

But Kira didn't stop. Didn't seem to want to. And as for the rest of her behavior, it was increasingly erratic, until finally she all but walked back into Division hands. For all he'd once promised to keep looking, to always come for her, Nick couldn't go after her that time. Not this way unfortunately. In any case, Kira's little stunt had put Cassie in front of a bullet, and Nick'd had his hands full trying to keep the young Watcher from bleeding out before he could find a Stitch to patch her up. By the time Cassie was out of the woods, Kira and the Division Sniffs and Pushers who'd managed to snag her were gone. Back to the U.S. and whatever facility was deemed proper to re-integrate a psychic and possibly an agent who'd been on the outside as long as Kira had.

In any case, Kira'd been M.I.A. for several years, and Nick, he hadn't missed her as much as he might have expected. He still had Cassie, and in the coming days as they both grew older and somehow wiser, that impractically dressed and ancient-eyed young woman meant far more than Kira ever did. If forced to choose between them, and God knew he really _had _been forced to choose between them, Cassie came first and would continue to come first, no matter what.

He just hoped he wouldn't have to deal with that choice right now in the midst of their rescue mission. Word on the street had it that an Agent Hollis was likely part of the team keeping tabs and guard on Cassie and Anna Holmes. If it was the same Hollis that Carver had thought Kira to be, they could be in deep shit. Kira's presence complicated things even more than the rescue itself. With Carver long dead, she was definitely the strongest Pusher on record, and while he and Cassie had some experience with holding her off, no one else on their team did. And even he and Cassie could only hold her off to a point.

Worse was the fact that Kira might very well have shared the trick Nick had figured out to avoiding Watchers all those years ago in Hong Kong with her superiors. If that happened, this mission would be over almost before it began.

He set the letter back on the console carefully, and then his fingers drifted up to his throat and the pendant he'd taken to wearing under his shirt after Cassie'd been taken. He'd meant to give it to her as both a birthday present and celebratory gift when they'd rescued her mother. That hadn't happened, obviously. The pendant had come to mean both hope and failure. Just the chance of the former kept him wearing it though, needing that fragile connection with the woman he'd lost.

Nick barely heard a slight snort from the other man in the car and he jerked his hand away from the pendant with an embarrassed cough. Bryce didn't look over, just smirked knowingly out the window.

Nick ignored him best he could, and checked the clock again. Almost time to open their respective envelopes. Nick was fairly sure he knew his part in the plan already, but there was no knowing for sure until he read the instructions Emily had written. Instructions she _should _be wiping from her memory as they waited. But she'd said she'd meet them here after that. So where the hell was she? He shook his head and hoped the other two members of their merry band of idiots were in position. There was no way to check at this point, but if they weren't… Well that would blow any chance of getting into the facility itself.

He glanced at the clock and started: 2:58 p.m. He all but lunged for the envelope again, and this time Bryce looked anything but smug, leaning in to look at the card himself. His wasn't set to be opened til 3:43 p.m., and Nick didn't even want to consider the stress that time period would be causing the Shadow.

Nick pulled out the card and flipped it over to read. "Drive straight to the gates then drive straight _through_ them – 3:00 p.m." He blinked and raised an eyebrow at his companion. Bryce shrugged, and Nick turned the key in the ignition starting the engine.

The clock changed to 2:59 p.m., and Nick felt his blood begin to pound. They had one minute and if Emily hadn't shown by then, they'd need to go without her. That would make finding their targets in the facility that much harder to track, but they wouldn't have a choice.

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as the seconds ticked away, finally not caring if it bothered the man beside him.

10, 9, 8… He flexed his hands and moved one to hover over the gearshift. 3, 2, 1. 3:00 p.m.

Nick slammed the SUV into drive and gunned it, slamming his foot down on the accelerator and the vehicle all but shrieked into motion. He barely slowed at the stop sign at the corner, wheeling the SUV right and sending Bryce almost sliding, his hand on the door and his seatbelt the only things keeping the Shadow securely in his seat. They roared down the street and toward the facility entrance at the far end. The massive gate at the entrance was visibly shut, and Nick swallowed as he stepped even harder on the accelerator, pushing the SUV to even higher speeds.

As they approached Nick forced himself to let go of the steering wheel with one hand, preparing the Push the shit out of the gate if it didn't open on its own. At the very last second, he saw the massive pieces of metal begin to slide apart.

"Thank you, Matthew," he muttered with a grin and slammed his foot on the accelerator again, sending the SUV flying past the gates and the guard station where he just barely saw the agents beginning to panic.

Phase One fucking complete.

Nick continued to drive, wheeling through the large parking lot to a side entrance Matt's intel told them might be the closest way to reach the Holmes women. He glanced in the rearview mirror to see another pair of SUVs barreling their way in behind him.

"Seems the ladies have arrived on schedule," Bryce said from beside him, his smirk showing his satisfaction at the turn of events. One of the vehicles followed close behind him, Emily likely at the wheel. The other spun to face the gate almost as soon as it entered and a barrage of fireballs began to fly from the open drivers side window to the guard station. Their favorite little pyrokinetic, Lex, was clearly having the proverbial and literal blast with the distraction role she was playing for their mission. Nick could only hope she'd keep moving fast enough to evade the agents that would soon come storming after her in the absence on any other intruder to follow. She should be fine though, he reminded himself. According to the rumors, Lex had kept herself out of Division hands her entire life using only her pyrokinetic tricks, an impressive set of street smarts, and a kick ass driving ability. Or so he'd heard. He wished her well silently – she was on her own for a while or at least as long as Bryce could pull off Shadowing all three of them as they entered the building.

Nick came to a screeching halt with Emily right behind him. All three psychics ran from their respective vehicles, engines still on and running. With any luck, they'd stay that way – facilitating the quick getaway they'd need if the mission proved to be a success.

The three of them pounded up the exterior steps to the door, pausing only a moment before the internal lock triggered itself and they entered. Once again, Nick thought a heartfelt 'thank you' to the young technopath they'd met only months before Cassie'd been taken. Nick doubted they'd have ever narrowed down Cassie's location without the Tech's help, and he was still proving his worth with every damn move they made. It was almost enough to make Nick ignore the younger man's obvious crush on Nick's Watcher love. Almost anyway.

The hallway the door led to was clear, but the first passageway off to the left definitely wasn't. Nick didn't even have time to Push the agents – Bryce was already moving, breaking into a sequence of viciously efficient martial arts that had the trio of Division goons out cold with what looked to be very little effort. _That_ talent had not been something the Shadow had mentioned. Handy little trick.

Nick couldn't help the whistle that escaped his lips, but Bryce barely acknowledged it, straightening his jacket almost casually. Behind them, Emily had used the momentary distraction to strip off her gloves, reaching each into the pockets of her jacket to pull out two objects – a cufflink and a pen, previously owned by Hook Waters and Cassie respectively. With Nick and Bryce guarding her, Emily brought each item up to her face allowing the psychic "scent" to seep into her hands as the Sniff activated her psychometric gifts to the forefront of her mind. She swayed as her gift took her for a moment, and then shook her head to clear it.

"Cassie is down that hall and up 2 flights of stairs. Behind the blast doors in the… fifth room on the left. She seems stationary for now." Emily turned her head to blink down the hallway just ahead of them. "Hook - he's that way… but he's moving. I can't get a clear fix on his location."

It didn't take Nick even a moment to make his decision. "Bryce take Emily with you. Head after Hook. I'll get the women."

Bryce didn't bother to nod, just took Emily by the elbow and set off at a swift jog down the hallway, leaving Nick to set off in the other direction.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_I don't know where we're heading  
I'm willing and ready to go  
We can't drive it so fast we just need to slow down  
And just roll_

_Anything that's worth having_  
_Is sure enough worth fighting for_  
_Quiting's out of the question_  
_When it gets tough gotta fight some more_  
_We gotta fight fight fight fight fight for this love_

"_Fight for this Love" – Cheryl Cole_

Nick burst through the door to the stairwell and started climbing up at a run, knowing he'd need to move fast now that his Shadow was heading to another part of the building. At least Emily and Bryce might get safely to Hook without a Sniff catching on to that goal.

He was on his own, not that he'd really thought a Shadow would help much at this point anyway – any Division goon worth their paycheck would know exactly where Nick was headed. He kept climbing, keeping his mind on Cassie as his goal, knowing he needed that mental encouragement. He heard a slam and looked up startled as he reached the first landing and looked through the window slit in the door to see an agent pounding on the door to the stairwell. For some reason the door wouldn't open even when he swiped his access card. Nick grinned and tossed a quick salute at the camera in the corner then kept climbing to the next floor.

He paused at that landing, seeing several other agents waiting through the window, all apparently having the same trouble getting through the lock that their counterparts downstairs had. Nick let out a long breath and twitched his fingers as he brought his power to mind, then he nodded at the camera and hearing the lock disengage with a metallic click, he wrenched open the door off its hinges with his gift and then sent it slamming back through into the hallway knocking two of the waiting agents sprawling. The other few were handled with another quick wave of Nick's hands slamming into the walls, ceiling, and floor like pinballs.

Nick barely spared them a glance beyond a quick check to make sure they were well and truly out cold, before he was moving again and heading through the blast doors down the hall. They slid open as he approached. He paused a little into the hallway, surprised that no one was waiting to attack. Then he just shook his head, chalking it up to the Tech guardian angel watching from through the security system. He half jogged down the hallway, counting doors until he reached the fifth door, still half cringing at the thought of the sound of phantom footsteps around him.

He took a deep breath, feeling something inside him tremble in hope that this really might be the door he'd been looking for these past many months. Then he softly pushed it open.

"Hey, Nick," her soft voice reached him before the door was even open, and he felt his knees go weak as he finally saw her smile, alive and in front of him. Her eyes were glassy, likely due to some drug Division had shoved through her system, but they were steady despite it. Nick smiled to himself remembering how she'd long ago told him that she and her mother both saw more clearly when drunk off their asses. Cassie had since proven that more than once on their time on the run, and he had a sudden suspicion that held true to just about any type of intoxicant. Clearly the Division goons were even dumber than he'd thought. Though that certainly explained how Cassie's mom had managed to keep her schemes in motion, even in Division's hands.

"Hey, you," he replied softly, stepping into the room and wrapping his arms around her, allowing himself a slow shaky breath at the feel of her back where she belonged. "You ready to get the hell out of here?"

"Oh yeah." The grin was clearly forced, and Nick felt himself cringe inside at the dark circles under her eyes, but something about the tilt of her head said her attitude was still there. That part of her that was always willing to step up against anyone who wanted her to back down. Whatever they had her on, they hadn't managed to break his feisty little Watcher. With that reminder firmly in his mind, he pulled out of the embrace, his hand finding her's instinctively as they turned back to the door and slipped quietly out into the hall.

They were almost to the blast door when he heard the sound he'd been so paranoid and waiting for, light footsteps with that click of high heels. He stiffened and then turned to put himself between Cassie and the woman at the other end of the hall. The _pair_ of women he realized as a second moved from behind the first, her dark form almost more a shadow that a person.

The first, of course, was Kira as he'd known in the pit of his stomach it would be.

She strode forward slowly, as if stalking toward her prey. Nick glanced back over his shoulder looking for a way out, but the blast doors were closed, and in any case, there though the glass were at least some of the agents he'd knocked out on his way in, and it wasn't likely they'd let the pair of psychics past them easily. Not after the humiliatingly easy way Nick had gotten past them to get to Cassie's room there in the first place.

"Well shit," he heard Cassie mutter from behind him, and he heartily agreed. This was not going to go particularly well.

"Hello, Nick," Kira said as she paced toward him. Her voice was serene and almost casual, and Nick suddenly remembered the way her voice had been all those years ago back in Hong Kong when he'd gone to find her in Carver's thrall. She'd been cruel then, and she'd only gotten worse with time. That didn't seem to have changed either. "So nice to see you again, though not exactly what I would have expected. Not considering your promise to me."

Nick swallowed at the reminder of the times he'd told her, always told her that he would find her if she went missing. She was right – he hadn't, but there'd been a damned good reason. That reason pressed more closely against his side and back, and Nick drew strength from the feel of Cassie beside him. It had been Kira's own fault he hadn't gone after her. He wasn't about to go regretting it now. He strengthened his resolve.

"Yeah, the guilt trip's not a good look on you, Kira. Not when you went looking for Division." He half shrugged, plastering on a bright smile as her mask of calm slipped a little. "I kinda considered the terms of that promise null and void at that point."

She scowled, abandoning any attempt at the pretense of civility.

"I ought to kill you, you know. You deserve it." The agent at her side stepped forward, the movement just enough to distract Kira from her own jealous petulance. As if the other agent had spoken, Kira straightened and smoothed down her suit, as if reminded that she was the professional here. "Unfortunately for me, Division wants you and your pet Watcher alive and in custody. Until it's your turn to try the drug anyway. I doubt you'll survive that."

She started to turn on her heel and then paused, her face turning cruel for a moment before she smoothed it away.

"Of course, alive doesn't necessarily have to be painless." She raised an eyebrow at the agent beside her. "Agent Rose…"

Nick set his feet, ready to sweep the woman off hers with his gift, but a shove from Cassie knocked him off balance. Just in time too – he stumbled to the side and narrowly missed the arch of electricity that sparked from the silent agent's hand. Cassie wasn't so lucky; the bolt sent her sprawling, her tiny form arching up from the floor as it tried to fight the electricity flowing through it.

Nick tried to go to her side, but a second bolt flashed from the agent's free hand, this time finding its target and sending Nick slamming into the wall in a painful mimic of the treatment he'd given the other agents only moments prior.

"Interesting," Kira remarked, and Nick wanted to strangle her, but couldn't find the ability to do anything at all. "I wouldn't have though he'd still be conscious. McLauren did say something the other day about Movers being closer to elementals in gift. Something to do with the nervous system."

Nick tried to shout at her in rage, but even his voice seemed to betray him. Cassie's wasn't as gone: wild shrieks ripped from her throat with each new pulse Agent Rose sent her way, and the sound made Nick cringe. Then Cassie stopped screaming, and that was so much worse.

Panic shot through him, and Nick struggled to get his feet under him as the dark-skinned agent stepped carefully across the hallway to her victim's side, electricity still pulsing from her fingertips to the Watcher writhing in agony on the floor. Agent Rose tilted her head as she watched Cassie twitch, the very slightest trace of interest showing on her otherwise blank face. Kira just stood at the end of the hall and watched silently, and Nick knew he'd likely never hate another person more than he hated his ex right then. He tried to get a hold on his powers but the shock seemed to have short circuited them. He pulled himself up as best he could against the wall, determined to bodily force the electrokinetic away from his love if he had to.

He didn't get the chance. There was a blur and a crash as something flew through the air, narrowly missing the agent by Cassie. It was just enough to distract the electrokinetic from her task, and the sparks died out as she turned to face the new threat. A ragged figure in a hospital gown and pajama pants was at the other end of the hall, a pair of what looked to be glass balls clenched tightly in her fists.

"Get away from her, you bitch." The woman barely raised her voice, but the threat implied was no less clear. She suddenly threw another of the glass balls, once again, her aim right on target. With a sudden crack, a bolt of electricity shot from the electrokinetic's fingers reaching the ball and shattering it on contact. However, the agent missed the woman's next throw, the last ball throwing as the second was destroyed. She landed a direct hit to the agent's temple, and with a vaguely shocked look on her face, the electrokinetic collapsed to the floor, out cold.

At the opposite in of the hallway, Kira stood up straight in surprise and started forward, but Nick was already moving, taking advantage of the brief distraction to lunge down and lift Cassie as best he could with his muscles still twitching in the after effects of the electrokinetic's attack against him. He dragged his burden down the hall, heading for the stranger who was waving them forward weakly, as if those throws had drained most of her strength.

"This way," the older woman said, pointing to another blast door which was held barely ajar by yet another of the glass orbs. Nick tucked his free arm around the woman's weight, praying his strength would hold out long enough to get them past the door and out of Kira's reach.

They managed it barely, kicking the ball out of the way, sending the door slamming closed precious inches ahead of Kira. She slammed into the door, beating it with her fists, and Nick just knew if any of them had the codes to get the thing open, she'd be Pushing them to do it. As it was, she slid her access card through the reader over and over again, screaming in frustration when it didn't open as it should.

"Big brother is watching," Cassie breathed with a weak grin and she waved slightly at the camera above them. "Hi, Matt."

"You can say hi later, baby. We gotta keep moving," Nick admonished, and she nodded and let him help her and her mother, as he'd finally recognized now that he was able to take a breath long enough to see the glaring similarities between the other psychic and the love he'd come to rescue. He took a tighter grip on both Holmes women, and set off down the hallway, turning corners when Anna Holmes directed him, seemingly almost at random.

They turned right at another hallway, and Nick came to a sudden stop at the sight of another agent standing in their way, pistol held up and pointed directly at the escaping trio.

"End of the road, champ. I'm impressed you got this far though. Not many people do." The man tried to keep his voice steady and flippant, but Nick could read the anxiety in the agent's posture. "Time to go back to your rooms, ladies. You don't really have a choice in that."

The gun trembled in the Division agent's hands, and Nick tried to shift Cassie's weight to free up a hand to move the weapon out of the bastard's hand if need be. He didn't get a chance to, though.

Anna shook off his other hand and stumbled forward to stare into the agent's eyes. Then she spoke just one word:

"Austin." The agent blinked and then swayed, the fight going out of him all at once. He lowered the gun with a ragged, near hysterical laugh.

"Austin. Right, of _course,_ it would have been you, Mrs. Psychic Extraordinaire. Shit shit _shit._" Nick stared in confusion as the other man shook his head and reached out to pull Anna's arm around his own shoulders, making sure to avoid her broken ribs as if he somehow already knew they were there. Hell, Nick thought, maybe he did. Who knew what this guy's ability was. The agent steadied Anna and then raised an eyebrow at Nick and Cassie. "Well, you coming or not? Because I really don't want to owe this lady any more favors. Or worse, have her pissed at me when her darling girl doesn't get the fuck out of here."

Nick blinked and smothered a laugh under his breath at the surprise of the agent's sudden change of heart. Just how many psychics owed Anna Holmes a favor or three, anyway? He had the feeling she was the only one who'd ever know. Certainly he'd lost count at this point. Nick tugged Cassie's weak form up higher against him, and the pair followed as the now-rogue Division agent led the way down the halls.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_There comes a time we all know  
There's a place that we must go  
Into the soul into the heart  
Into the dark_

_There was fire there was death_  
_There was lying on your breath_  
_I turned away I would pretend_  
_But the burning never ends_

"_Into the Dark" – Melissa Etheridge_

The former agent led them down other corridors only to run them headlong into the middle of a firefight between a group of agents and some other as yet unknown gunman. Nick only had the moment's warning of Cassie swaying and clutching at his hand before, he heard a yelp of "Shit!" from the agent ahead of them, and then bullets began to fly. The agent shoved Anna back toward them and opened fire into the hallway he'd just ducked out of, but Nick couldn't help but doubt the man would be any good with his weapon what with the way it was shaking in his hands. Nick pushed Cassie to her mother and moved to the edge of the hallway, praying with every part of him that it had been long enough for his telekinesis to come back online.

Only one way to find out. He took a quick glance over his shoulder to see if either woman looked liked they'd Seen something that might stop him from this idiotic stunt. Both looked worried, but neither tried to stop him, and with that thought as an albeit weak comfort, he shoved the agent back towards the woman and the lunged into the hallway directly into the path of the bullets coming from either direction.

Thank all that was holy, his gift kicked in instinctively, blocking the bullets before they could reach him. He realized just a little too late though that the ricochet might be an even bigger danger to those he protected down the hallway than the original trajectory of the bullets. One nicked the agent in the arm, and the tall man let out a long stream of curses that Nick might have been impressed by on any other occasion. He gritted his teeth and switched from blocking the bullets to actively Moving them from their current path back to the agents who'd fired them.

He only vaguely noticed that the shots had stopped coming from the agents original opponents, but he was too distracted by the agents who were still firing to readily realize what it meant. Not until a shout of his name from behind them had him half turning to see the Holmes women and the rogue agent had slipped past him to escape down the hallway and join the trio of figures the agents had been firing on. It was Emily, Bryce, and Hook, and Nick felt another burst of relief flow through him at the sight of his allies still alive, if not well.

That relief brought a wave of both determination and new found strength in it's wake, and with that strength Nick sent the agents still firing on those he cared about slamming backwards into walls and blast doors and anything else he thought might leave a mark. Then, almost as an after thought, he Moved the weapons out of the agents hands and into his own. No telling how much ammo they'd have, but 3 handguns would definitely even the odds a bit. Or so he hoped at least.

He didn't spare the agents another glance, just flicked the safeties on his new toys, shoving one into the waist of his pants and leaving the others in his hands. Then he turned and broke into a jog to catch up with the group of his friends and family as they straggled around another corner. When he reached them, he almost gagged at the sight. It looked like the agent who was again supporting Anna and now Cassie wasn't the only one injured. Nick took Cassie's weight from the agent, nearly missing the grateful nod as he stared at the pair he'd last seen two floors down. Bryce had his cousin over his shoulders in a fireman's carry, though judging by the grayed cast to the Shadow's face, he wouldn't be able to carry his cousin for long. Nick couldn't see where Bryce had been hit, but the blood at the edges of his ears and nose likely meant there'd been at least one Division Bleeder in the building. Other than those few signs though, Nick couldn't gauge the Shadow's damage, and if a Bleeder was involved there would definitely be more damage. Nick felt his skin crawl at the memory and hoped like hell they'd be able to get Bryce Stitched up properly before the internal damage took too much of a toll. In the reverse of his cousin's hidden wounds, Nick couldn't see a place where Hook _wasn't _openly injured. Division had apparently chosen to beat the shit out of the Shifter in his time in their care. Nick prayed both would be able to hold out until the group reached safety. And they _had_ to reach safety. Nick couldn't allow himself to think they wouldn't.

At the head of the group was Emily who he hoped had memorized the layout of the facility enough to actually lead them back out of the building. Nick was shaken to see a gun in the slender woman's hands – she hated guns, and any weapon in a Sniff's ungloved hand was likely to send them shaking at the deaths that always seeped into such an object. That she'd needed to carry one this far said more about the hell she and Bryce had gone through getting Hook than Nick wanted to think about.

He pushed the worry aside for a brief moment of relief as they finally, finally reached a door he recognized and pushed through to the stairway he'd taken on his way up. Nick once again was silently grateful to the Tech he knew had to still be watching their backs. They'd have never gotten this far otherwise. He resolved to find someway to thank the younger man – maybe a new processor or something. Cassie would know what to get.

Then Bryce stumbled on the stairs just below them, and Nick stopped thinking about Matt and started Moving the pair of men hopefully quick enough to keep them both from careening down the steps and adding concussions to the likely lengthy list of injuries both were sporting. Once he was certain both men were relatively stable, Nick handed Cassie back off to the agent, only half snorting when she insisted weakly that she could walk on her own damn it. Then he lifted Hook from Bryce to his own shoulders, only staggering slightly before he adjusted to the weight. Bryce didn't even argue, and Nick tried not to think about how done in the man would be not to toss a sarcastic comment his way.

He kept silent, and just tried not to fall as they continued past the landing down the stairs to the ground floor, trusting and praying everyone else was able to keep going behind him. That they'd be safe to do so, even with the former Division agent traveling with them.

They reached the ground floor, but it only took one look through to glass in the door to see that getting out was not going to be as easy as getting in. There were at least a dozen Division goons waiting for them, weapons out and ready to aim at the door the moment it opened.

"Shit, shit, _shit._" Nick wasn't the only one cursing his head off at the sight – the agent was once again letting out a steady stream of creative profanity. Nick could only guess Cassie was taking notes; it was the sort of thing she'd enjoy bringing up at a later date. Assuming they had a later date. Nick's gaze darted around their enclosed box of a safe zone, trying desperately to figure out a way out of there.

"Emily," he asked, trying to keep his voice even. "Can you remember from the schematics if I've got an exterior wall here?"

The Sniff's hands were shaking around the pistol in her hand, but her voice was steady when she answered.

"I…yes, the emergency stairs were at the corners of the building." She let go of the gun with one hand and lifted a trembling hand to trail against the walls, her eyes drifting closed for a moment as she traced her way around all four walls, finally coming to a stop on the wall opposite the doorway. "This one should be exterior."

Nick nodded slowly, the barest glimmer of a slightly batshit plan forming in his head. It would be all about timing – if he didn't get it right, his allies would be buried under rubble before they could get through his escape route. He eased Hook carefully off of his shoulders, holding him steady until Bryce could pull his cousin's arm over his shoulders. Emily took Hook's other arm, and Nick nodded at the pair, trusting them to hold up for the moment no matter how their strength was fading.

"Alright, everyone stay as close behind me as you can and be ready to run." He allowed himself one brief glance at Cassie, swallowing hard as she gave him a slow nod of support. "OK then…" He took a deep breath, and then without allowing himself to doubt, he shoved forward with his gift like a battering ram, Moving the wall until it shattered beneath his touch, bricks and cement and rebar flying outwards into the parking lot beyond. The stairs and walls above began to crumble and he shot his free hand up, struggling to hold his telekinesis against the rubble falling down until the others had run past him to escape through the jagged hole in the wall.

"Nick, now!" Cassie's shout was the signal he was waiting for, and he lunged through the hole he'd formed, only allowing his hand to fall away as he reached open air on the other side. He coughed as a wave of dust and debris followed behind him, but he didn't have time to catch his breath. The Division agents would be right out the front door behind them if the entire building didn't collapse. Nick and the others needed to get to the vehicles as quickly as they could.

There was just one problem though, Nick discovered as he turned to look in the direction of where they'd left the SUVS. He could see them, or more the fiery heaps of what was left of them.

"Damn it, Lex," he murmured, wondering just what the fuck they were going to do now.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_But I wish I could feel it all for you_  
_I wish I could be it all for you_  
_If I could erase the pain_  
_Maybe you'd feel the same_  
_I'd do it all for you_  
_I would_  
_I'd do it all for you, I'd do it all for you_

_"Guns and Horses" – Ellie Goulding_

He cursed again and reached for the phone he hoped was still undamaged in his pocket, the last resort he _really_ hadn't wanted to reach for as god only knew how desperately they needed to keep Matt and his location guarded. He was the only one with a birds eye view of the compound though, and the only one who might be able to get them a way the fuck out of here.

Nick was getting ready to dial when the screech of tires and roar of an engine far more impressive than the beat-to-hell body of an old suburban it was installed in came careening around the corner of the building straight for their position. The SUV slammed to a stop just inches from Emily and the Spark in the drivers seat ordered them all inside through the open passenger window.

"Let's go already – I'm not sticking around to play anymore!" Nick let out a rush of air in a relieved sigh as he helped load the growing crowd of runaway psychics into the car, praying there'd be seatbelts for everyone. With Lex driving they'd definitely need them; hell they'd have needed them even if they _hadn't_ been in a life-or-death chase. As Murphy's Law would have it, they had just enough room on the actual seats for everyone but Nick. There wasn't time for him to bitch and moan beyond a quick and heartfelt "Fuck me." That said, he pulled himself in the back doors of the suburban and resigned himself to Moving himself off of walls as best he could. He could guarantee he'd be hitting his head at least once or a couple dozen times, though.

Lex took off the instant the last door was slammed, and Nick was glad he was the only one unsecured. At least a telekinetic might be able to hang on. Cassie's light little body would have been tossed all over the place with out the security of a belt.

The Spark floored it and flipped a bitch that Nick would have though impossible in the massive SUV, but she managed it without even jumping a curb. She tore through the parking lot like she was on a damned racetrack, heading back to the gates of the facility and pushing what felt like 80 mph in the small space.

"Matt, tell me you got the timing, right," Lex snapped, and Nick wondered if she was just speaking out into the ether.

"Of course I do. Just make the gate – it'll be open when you get there." Nick blinked in shock but looked forward to the front of the vehicle to see a phone set in some kind of holder on the dashboard, an open call and Matt's face reading on the screen.

Well would you look at that, an English Tom Tom, he thought almost hysterically. Trust Lex and Matt to be the two to break the cell silence, though he had to admit it was probably safer for both of them. They'd been the only two members of the band of crazy not to have a partner – it made a sort of sense they'd managed to contact each other for safeties sake. He just prayed it wouldn't backfire on them all.

"Matt," Lex said again, nerves almost showing in her voice as they approached the still-closed gate.

"Breathe. It only needs to be open as wide as the vehicle."

"Yeah, brother, but remember I need my fucking mirrors to drive this boat!"

"Already calculated for that. Just keep driving." Lex gritted her teeth and tersely ordered everyone to hang on. Nick did, but kept one hand free just in case Matt's timing wasn't as exact as it had been going in. He also noticed Lex's left hand resting on the open window and starting to spark up. Looked like both of them were ready for the worst if need be.

Miracles of miracles – they didn't need to be. Just as the Tech had promised, the gates began to creak open at the last minute, and the SUV squeezed through with only inches to spare beyond the gates. As they roared through, Nick risked a look behind them to see the gates close fast after them again. He had a suspicion they wouldn't open easily again either, but what the hell – he lifted his free hand, and with a quick clench of his finger had the metal of the gates crumpling together. Let Division try to hack their way through _that. _

Then the vehicle was careening around a corner, and Nick had to use every bit of his gift to keep his seat. There was a steady stream of muttered curse words and commands sounding from each seated individual, and Nick wondered how Lex managed to ignore all the instructions other than Matt's. Because she was in fact listening to their Tech, something Nick would never had guessed he see. Made sense, though, he realized as he watched through the front windshield to see lights changing to green every direction they turned, and flashing to red again before the few Division cars who'd managed to escape the compound caught up. Other than Matt though, Lex seemed to completely ignore the presence of the rest of her passengers. Matt directed her in and out of traffic onto cross streets and down alley ways, seemingly at random but with such control, Nick had no doubt the Tech had mapped out the route to the exact second. Hell, he'd probably mapped out multiple routes just to be sure of keeping any Watchers second guessing which direction the escapees would go.

"Bryce, you ready? Coming up on 3:43." Cassie's words had even Nick jumping – he hadn't had a clue of the time passing. On one hand, the past 40 minutes had passed at a blur – on the other, it had been the longest 40 minutes of his fucking life. He blinked realizing Cassie'd known exactly when Bryce needed to read his card. Little witch of a Watcher, he thought fondly, still holding on tight.

In the seat behind Lex, the Shadow reached a weary hand into his jacket and carefully opened his card just as the clock switched to 3:43 p.m. He scanned the contents and then crumbled it and leaned forward.

"Lex, turn left and enter the southbound freeway in 3… 2… 1." Lex spun into the turn, and as she did so, Bryce turned inward as if to look at everyone inside and then closed his eyes. His hands clenched the back of his seat and the back of Lex's and sweat beaded out of his forehead. Nick could guess what was happening, but Cassie's quick congratulations of "We're gone!" told him just the same that the other man had Shadowed the entirety of the vehicle. From this point out, they should be safe assuming none of the Division vehicles managed to catch up. And with Lex driving, Nick highly doubted it. Now all they needed to do was avoid any cops, and they'd be home free.

As if the thought sparked the comment, Matt spoke up again, his voice slightly tinny through the speaker on the phone. "Police in the area are responding to reports of armed gunmen holding hostages in the South Central banks – you're free to speed at will, Lex."

"Copy that." With that Lex actually managed to push the SUV to even faster speeds, something Nick would never had thought possible. He quietly resolved that if they survived her driving, he was totally asking Lex to take over for the crew as mechanic if she wanted to stick around. Damn the woman was good with an engine!

The rest of the journey was relatively uneventful but for the random commuters staring at them in shock when the suburban soared by in the left lane. Lex hopped on and off the highway seemingly at random at Matt's direction, but other than those few moments, they headed in a straight shot to the warehouse district, never really stopping once until they reached the entrance to the garage of the building Matt had acquired for himself who knew how long ago. That thought had Nick feeling more than a little guilty – it was likely Matt would need to abandon this place when the rest of them did.

For now though, Nick thought as he helped ease the exhausted, the drugged, and the wounded out of the suburban and into the space Matt had carved out as his home with rough walls and fixtures in the center of the warehouse, it would be a damned good place for all of them to rest and heal.

The tagalong agent, who finally bothered to introduce himself as one Michael "Call me Mike" Davis "Stitch extraordinaire," half directed and half heckled his new patients into the largest of the bedrooms in turn, making sure to heal each and every member at least to the point of "not likely to die" before he literally passed out where he stood by the bed. It was only Nick's Mover reflexes that kept the other man from falling face first to the floor. After a quick consultation with Anna who assured them all that Mike was in no way a threat to the safety of their little group. Nick Moved the Stitch into bed, and the rest of the group scattered as well, finding beds, couches, and futons to fall into as it suited them. Nick wasn't surprised to find Anna and Cassie each taking him by the hand and towing into the one room with a pair of beds. Anna tucked her daughter and Nick in, somehow without making it even the slightest bit awkward, and then settled into the bed by the door.

Nick didn't even have time to say goodnight before the stress and exhaustion of the day suddenly descended, and he fell dead to the world asleep.


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_And I found a back up plan  
I'm grateful that I didn't have to use it  
But it's made of real good friends  
Bon Voyage_

_Isn't it nice to know_  
_That the lining is silver_  
_Isn't it nice to know_  
_That we're golden_ – "The Lining is Silver" – Reliant K

Nick woke with a start, a clatter somewhere beyond the bedroom shaking him out of what he had a vague feeling had been a good dream. He scrubbed a hand across his face lazily and then sat up, again with a start, his mind finally catching up with the fact that the bed was empty beside him. Panic rose, and he forced it down to a manageable level as he scrambled for a clean pair of pants and a t-shirt, pulling on both and tucking his pistol in the waistband of his pants and then heading to the door.

Another clatter echoed, but this time it was accompanied with the faint sound of laughter, and he felt something inside him ease as he recognized the joyful voice. It had been a long time since he'd heard Cassie laugh like that.

Nick smothered a laugh of his own as he passed one of the other bedrooms and through the open door saw the Division stowaway Mike passed out on the bed, limbs spread like a damned starfish. He was also snoring loud enough Nick was surprised it was the laughter and not the bullfrog that had woken him. He debated on waking the Stitch, but thought better of it. He had to admit Mike had earned the extra sleep with the mass healing he'd done on damn near every member of their merry band of fools. Besides, if Nick woke him, he'd have to deal with the man talking his ear off. He'd had enough of that for now, thanks.

He left the hallway and nodded to Bryce and Hook who were settled in a pair of armchairs in the living room. Bryce ignored him as always, but his cousin nodded wearily, tired and battered but smiling through it. And not quite as battered as he had been – cocky asshole though the Stitch might have been, clearly he knew his craft. Hook would survive, and that was what mattered.

Matt was sprawled on the floor with his back against the couch, his laptop open in front of him, and his face expressionless. Nick changed course to pat the Tech on the shoulder, and was rewarded with a shocked little smile. He smiled back and left Matt to whatever task he'd assigned himself. Nick wouldn't be surprised if the Tech was _still_ working on covering their tracks. He hoped one of the women would be able to calm the younger man down eventually. He was working hard, but he'd burn out quick if he wasn't careful. Nick wondered if it would be cruel to ask Cassie to do it.

Then he'd reached the kitchen and breakfast nook and the scene there had Matt pushed firmly from his mind. The girls, his girls, were all there. Emily and Lex had possession of the big table, cups of tea and coffee in front of them respectively, and from the laughter and smirks, Nick could only imagine the bawdy conversation Lex had likely started. The Spark in question shot him a wink and nodded to the kitchen proper.

Nick turned to look and leaned against the doorway, vaguely aware he was rocking a dopey grin on his face, but really not giving a shit. Cassie and her mom were at the stove, making what looked to be a really sad set of pancakes judging from the scent of burning and the flour liberally dusted across both women's faces and arms and hair. But they were smiling at it, giggles sending both tripping over themselves and each other and likely causing the culinary disaster in the first place. Cassie tried to focus on the pancakes again, shooting a laughing glare at her mother when she tried to distract her daughter yet again.

Over the top of the blonde mop of curls beside her, Anna looked up to see him and for a moment her eyes seemed to fill with tears. She mouthed "Thank you" over Cassie's head, and Nick had to glance away or risk his own eyes filling. And fuck if their audience would ever let him live that one down.

With his emotions somewhat under control, he allowed himself to look back at the sight of his lover at the stove. Cassie seemed to feel his eyes this time, and she glanced over and raised an eyebrow at him. He could practically hear the snarky crack she must be thinking and he laughed to himself. Then Nick pushed off from the wall and walked over slowly, loving the way she tried to fight the smile as he approached. He reached her and wrapped his arms around her, dropping a kiss against her temple and relishing in the way she leaned herself back against him. They sighed in tandem, then he very deliberately reached out and pulled her hands away from the pan and spatula then gently shoved her away from the stove.

He surveyed the disaster in front of him and shook his head.

"Well, this was a waste." He shot mock glares at the pair of Holmes women, who, of course, just giggled at him madly. "If you actually want to eat breakfast, sit down and stay out of my way, huh?"

He didn't bother to check if they followed his order, but another set of feminine laughter and the screech of chairs against the floor told him they'd joined the other pair at the breakfast table. Nick smiled to himself and went about the task of making something that might actually be edible for breakfast for his crew that was gathered around him.

He watched the women out of the corner of his eye and listened to their laughter and the conversation out in the living room and the clacking of fingers on a keyboard and the snoring that echoed faintly down the hallway.

Not just a crew, his _family_, he amended silently. Fucked up and crazier than any might have guessed. But his. He just wished he'd get to keep them longer. Nick knew all too well that this many psychics in one place would be a bad idea in the long run. Even with Bryce's Shadowing prowess and Matt's Tech genius, Division would catch up to them before too long. And Kira would be even more driven to get them back after they'd escaped her grasp this time.

But for now, at least they _were_ his, and he'd cherish that as long as he could. He caught Anna's eye again and she nodded at him, approval in her eyes. Beside her was Cassie, smiling at Emily as she fiddled with the lily pendant around her neck.

She was his, too. Nick smiled to himself and went back to making breakfast.

**Welp that's it! I hope you all enjoyed! **


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